


pseudo-beginnings

by pipecleanerFlowers



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 06:32:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3477977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipecleanerFlowers/pseuds/pipecleanerFlowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>University is going to be the best thing ever. No more high school, no more awful peers, just Yuuto and Ruri trying to navigate university life in Maiami. Of course, things are never that simple when embarrassing long-term crushes are involved.</p><p>(aka: Yuuto gets brozoned, probably.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	pseudo-beginnings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunwukong](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunwukong/gifts).



> ayyyyy it's my first commission this season!! and it's misguided fanon shunyoot holla
> 
> hope you enjoy, bao :)

Graduation is about as stressful as it shouldn’t be. For some reason completely unknown to Yuuto, Ruri’s worried about what dress she should wear under the stifling gown the school will force them to wear. Which, who even cares?

(Ruri does. Ruri, who forced Yuuto to buy tickets for the prom being held after the ceremonies, Ruri who is determined to make their graduation the best night of their entire awful high school existential crisis.)

So Yuuto’s being dragged around the mall with Ruri. And Shun, her distressingly attractive older brother, who was told to go along to make sure she didn’t pick anything too “inappropriate” to wear. He is the stand-in parental figure of authority, but Yuuto knows Shun has never been good at being imposing and strict when it comes to Ruri.

“I can’t believe I have to go shopping with the two biggest fashion disasters in Heartland,” Ruri huffs when they finally manage to get through the revolving doors and into the mall. Because for some reason, revolving doors are a lot harder to navigate when Ruri is carrying some ridiculous oversized bag, and Shun refuses to not wear his bright purple trenchcoat in the summer.

“I take offense to that,” Yuuto says, running a hand through his purple bangs and slipping his D-Gazer into the pockets of his ripped jeans. “I look awesome.”

“And like I said, I’m not taking off my coat. It gets cold in here,” Shun says.

Ruri runs a hand down her face. “You look like a creepy trenchcoat guy.”

“It’s _cold_.”

“It’s also summer,” Yuuto points out.

“Yeah, jeez. Couldn’t you just-- you know what, who cares,” Ruri says. “You guys are perfect for each other.”

Yuuto glares at her because yes, they _are_ perfect for each other. Shun just doesn’t know it yet and he _won’t_. Ever. She sticks her tongue out at him while Shun is being ignoring them both to check the time on his D-Gazer. Yuuto is relieved to know that he completely missed the blush that he’s still trying desperately to put away.

“Where to first?” Shun asks, attempting to get his sister back on track as he pockets his D-Gazer. “For this dream dress of yours.”

Ruri smirks, “There.” She points to exactly the kind of store Yuuto thinks her parents warned Shun about.

The storefront is full of posed mannequins with black dresses, some with studs, some made of leather, all form-fitting and too-short with low necklines. Definitely the kind her parents would hate, and Yuuto approves. He hears Shun groan, but Ruri’s already on the move with her worn-out combat boots.

“Okay, let’s go,” Yuuto says, about to follow her before Shun catches their shoulders.

“Mom won’t like that,” he says, as if that’s enough to stop them as Ruri swats his hand away and Yuuto does the same.

“Who _cares?_ ” Ruri asks. “I finally got my braces off, I got a cool haircut, I can wear my Vampira lipstick without drawing attention to a motormouth, and I want to make everyone jealous, why is this so _hard_?”

“Because we have conservative parents,” Shun says at the same time Yuuto mutters, “Because parents suck.”

Ruri just stares at them. “Can we please not listen to them, then?”

“It’s really easy, actually,” Yuuto adds to Shun. “You just pretend they never said anything at all and do what you want.”

Shun stays where he is. “I have a responsibility to carry out and--”

“ _Shun_!”

Yuuto watches Shun cave, from the way his lips curve downward, head tilting forward in defeat as his arms cross over his chest. “Okay fine. But we’re going to that store last,” he says, and Yuuto imagines it’s the only thing Shun can think of to stop Ruri from having her way.

Ruri grins. “That’s more like it!”

\+ + + + +

It has been three painful hours of shopping, and neither Shun, nor Yuuto are carrying any shopping bags. Yuuto’s half relieved, because shopping with Ruri has always been an exercise in weight-lifting (so yeah, he _does_ lift thank you very much), but he’s mostly exhausted because sitting in the change-room waiting rooms is a Task when Shun is beside him, staring boredly at the walls and tapping at his D-Gazer.

They’ve established a Strategy. It involves Ruri picking a dress, then Shun picking something he thinks their parents would like, then Yuuto choosing the exact opposite of that. And Yuuto’s choices are always black.

That part’s kinda fun, because he gets to see Shun very seriously go through all the dress racks, very seriously contemplate the choices with a hand to his chin, and very seriously hand his choice to Ruri. And then watch Shun’s face drop when Yuuto picks exactly the dress he’d previously shaken his head at.

It’s just fun having Shun around again. Yuuto missed their late nights talking cards over the coffee table at the Kurosaki’s while Ruri sat on the couch trying to beat her times in Mario Kart. Ever since he left in September to go to Maiami U, life at Heartland High hasn’t been the same. Ruri picked at her lunch the first few weeks, as they sat in their corner of the cafeteria and hoped no one would bother them when there wasn’t any Shun to glare offenders away.

“So, how was your last year?” Shun asks, pocketing the D-Gazer he’d been fiddling with and shifting his gaze to Yuuto. His resting bitchface hasn’t changed a bit, and Yuuto almost laughs because Shun’s always been so serious.

“As good as it could be, under the circumstances,” Yuuto says, after some thought.

“What circumstances?”

“Well, you weren’t there,” Yuuto says, and immediately regrets it as he feels his face heat up, but Shun’s back to staring a hole into the wall.

“Ruri says it wasn’t the same without me. Whatever that means. You guys make it sound like torture.”

“High school _is_ torture.”

“Melodramatic teenagers.”

“You’re still a teenager.”

“I’m in university.”

“Yeah, for like, a whole _year_.”

Shun breathes out a laugh. “Okay, fine. But you guys always made such a big deal about it. Was it really such a pain?”

Yuuto debates whether he really wants to talk about the bullies, who told Ruri she was ugly daily, who threatened Yuuto when they found out he wasn’t straight. “Yeah, it was. You wouldn’t get it, you were normal.”

“If you say so. Well, you’ll like it at Maiami. No one cares who you are or what you like in university. It’s pretty… chill.”

“Chill?”

“Yeah, like… I don’t know. People just give less of a shit. No one cares about popularity or brands or being cool, it’s more just be yourself and try to survive your courses and if you click with people, then that’s cool too.”

“Did you click with anyone?”

Shun shrugs. “More like… someone found me interesting.”

“Interesting?”

“Don’t ask, I still don’t know why he hangs out with me.”

Yuuto knows why (and it has nothing to do with how attractive Shun’s face is even in a dorky purple trenchcoat).

Ruri finally swipes open the curtain of her change-room, dressed in Yuuto’s pick, the last one from this store. “What do you guys think?”

Shun’s face immediately drops into the kind of disappointment Yuuto could imagine on their parents. “It’s awful.”

But it’s not, because it fits her better than Shun’s pick (which was a hideous shade of orange that clashed with her green hair and seafoam bangs and made her look like a carrot). This one’s black, like all of Yuuto’s choices, and it reaches her knees, and has a neckline that’s low enough to be acceptable at a high school prom.

“It’s great,” Yuuto says, mentally patting himself on the back. “What do you think, Ruri?”

She pads over to the mirror in her bare feet and stares herself down. “I like it,” she says, like it’s the worst news ever and she hates herself for it (and Yuuto knows she was hoping to finally hit the store she’s wanted to go to since the beginning, but if the dress fits…).

“Mom will hate it,” Shun says. “It’s like you _want_ Ruri to get in trouble,” he adds to Yuuto.

Yuuto shrugs. “She should be able to do what she wants. Like I do.” Ruri nods in agreement, folding her arms across her chest as she watches Shun through the mirror.

“Through pure rebellion,” he responds.

“Better than--”

“Conforming to societal and parental expectations, I know your shtick,” Shun cuts Yuuto off, sighing. “You can’t get it, Ruri.”

“Well _I_ like it,” Ruri argues, whipping around. “And I don’t care what mom says unlike _you_.” She huffs and Shun sighs and Yuuto wonders if something happened recently because for the first time in a long time, he feels out of their loop.

“Are you getting it?” Yuuto asks instead.

“Yes,” Ruri says at the same time Shun lets out a resounding “No.”

Yuuto sighs. “Okay, whatever. Let’s go get something to eat and think it over,” he suggests, because it’s been three hours and all of them desperately need a break.

\+ + + + +

They all end up with poutine in the crowded food court, sitting quietly at a table somewhere in a far corner, and it almost reminds Yuuto of their high school days together. Yuuto’s already scarfed his food down, so now he’s picking from Ruri’s, who’s barely touched hers.

“We should probably look for something for you to wear too,” Shun says, pointing a cheese-covered fry at Yuuto.

“I don’t ne--”

Ruri smoothly interrupts: “Have you seen the state of your closet lately? I’m pretty sure you don’t own a single dress shirt that isn’t beyond the help of an iron.”

“Are you two really ganging up on me? Why can’t I just wear the unifo--”

“Oh my god, he thinks he can wear the _uniform_ ,” Ruri mock whispers. “Did you hear that Shun?”

“Loud and clear.”

“ _Guys_.”

Ruri shakes her head. “You need a shirt. And maybe a tie that doesn’t have like a billion chains or tacky plaid.”

“Definitely,” Shun agrees.

“And it could match my dress too. You know, since we’re going together,” Ruri adds, and Yuuto’s about to interrupt because _only as friends_ for posterity, but she presses on: “Of course, we still need to _find_ a dress.” She stares pointedly at Shun.

Yuuto can see Shun cave again. “We… can go back and try it on. Take some pictures. Show mum, maybe tell her the price. It wasn’t that unreasonable…”

“Negotiations?” Yuuto asks. “Really?”

“Really,” Ruri says with a grimace. “Come on, Yuuto. You know how weird our parents are.”

“Point taken.”

“They’re not that weird. Just protective,” Shun says, and Ruri and Yuuto simultaneously give him a look he’s too used to.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Ruri says. “After they pretty much forced you into your major?”

Shun shrugs. “I thought it was a good choice.”

“Sure you did.”

“Business, right?” Yuuto asks. “The major where you have to wear a suit or you’re automatically not professional enough to be there?”

“That’s not true,” Shun says. “And it’s fine. I like it.”

“Liar, you hate it,” Ruri mutters. “Anyway, my dress is gonna be black,” she says, turning back to Yuuto. “So you just have to wear black. Know any cheap stores that’ll have that? And don’t say Hot Topic.”

“I haven’t shopped there since grade nine, okay? Jeez,” Yuuto says, and Shun’s smirking because he probably remembers the Tripp pants that Yuuto kept tripping over because he hadn’t reached his growth spurt yet (and even when it came, it was pitiful).

Yuuto sighs. This is going to be an even longer day than he thought.

\+ + + + +

Graduation is a trial of patience. Ruri finds him in the crowd of students, all decked out in black gowns and those weird flat hat-things that Yuuto’s never understood the significance of, and hugs him tightly.

“Today’s the day!” she says excitedly and Yuuto groans.

“I wish it was over.”

“Aw, but we haven’t even danced to a slow song yet,” she teases, poking him in the ribs. Or, well, as close as she can get because the gowns are so baggy and Yuuto is a literal stick.

“Is Shun here?” he asks.

“Worried about your boyfriend?”

“Shut up…”

Ruri just laughs and pulls him into another hug. “Tonight’s the last time we ever have to see this awful place.”

“And then, Maiami.”

“And then you can elope with Shun.”

An image of Yuuto in a dress, running through a field of flowers with Shun, momentarily flashes through his mind. It’s slightly scarring.

“ _Ruri_.”

She just ignores him and grabs his hand. “Come on, let’s sneak out to find Shun before it starts.”

Before Yuuto can even respond, she’s pulling him through the throng of students and toward the main entrance.

\+ + + + +

It takes a little while to find Shun, not that either of them are worried about being late (because they’ve already been through all the instructions too many times in rehearsals, and all they need to know is when their row needs to get up and walk across the stage anyway). Shun is leaning on the wall by the main gates, for once not wearing his purple trenchcoat.

“Wow, Shun, you clean up nice!” Ruri calls out, and his head snaps up from the D-Gazer in his hand.

Yuuto agrees and tries not to think about just how much he agrees because Shun looks _really unfair_. He’s in tan slacks and brown oxfords and a navy blue dress shirt, and Yuuto doesn’t want to admit it, but he looks professional, like he belongs in the Business program at Maiami University. And it’s… nice.

(Meanwhile, he and Ruri in their graduation gowns that billow embarrassingly in the wind…)

“So, who dressed you?” Ruri asks when they reach him, out of breath.

“No one.”

“Liar,” Ruri giggles, and Yuuto figures there’s an inside joke here somewhere that she’ll explain to him later.

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be inside? It’s starting soon.” Shun pulls back his sleeve to check his wristwatch, and it’s not the beat-up digital thing he used to have, but a golden Fossil thing, and Yuuto wonders how much university has changed him. “In half an hour.”

“Yeah, that means we have half an hour to hang out!” Ruri says cheerfully, and Shun pockets his D-Gazer.

“Okay. So, excited?”

“Yes!” Ruri practically gushes. “I can’t wait to get out of this hell, it sucks without you.”

Yuuto agrees. “It’s pretty shit.”

Shun pushes his lanky self off the wall. “Well, you guys will like what’s next. University is… interesting,” he says, starting to walk along the wall. Yuuto and Ruri follow.

“Any reason why?” Yuuto asks curiously.

“Well, there’s no dress code. No uniforms,” Shun says. “Ruri can wear whatever she wants.”

“That’s totally a plus if I ever heard one,” Ruri says with a grin. “Anything else?”

“People aren’t as petty.”

“Definitely a plus,” Yuuto mutters, and Ruri just pats him consolingly.

“Living without parents is kinda nice too. Though, you start to miss home-cooking,” Shun adds.

“I won’t,” Yuuto says, and Shun raises an eyebrow.

“Trust me, you will.”

“Sure.”

“Subway gets old fast, and options are sparse otherwise. Even the burgers are subpar.”

“Burgers can never suck,” Yuuto says, and Shun just gives him his best judgmental adult look.

“Just try the ones at the dorm caf. You’ll see.”

“Oh shit, it’s our principal,” Ruri says suddenly, grabbing for Yuuto’s arm and hiding behind Shun. Yuuto glances around and spots him around the gazebos set up on the soccer field. “We have to go,” she stage-whispers, not that their principal could hear them at this distance anyway.

Shun chuckles. “Alright. Well, good luck up there.” He ruffles Yuuto’s hair and pats Ruri on the shoulder. “You’ll be at my level in a couple of hours.”

“Can’t wait,” Ruri grins, before tugging Yuuto away with her. And he’s kinda glad, because he’s not sure if he can suppress the blush that’s heating up his face. He doesn’t look back to see Shun wave them off.

\+ + + + +

The reception after the ceremony is a trial of patience too, and Yuuto realizes everything has been lately. It’s probably something about being so close to the end that drains his motivation to do anything more than the bare minimum of drifting through it all. Small talk about the weather and all the congratulations Yuuto gets from his parents and the parents of his sworn enemies is overbearing, but at least Ruri is at his side, in the dress he picked out for her, to do most of the talking for him.

Shun is around, and so are Ruri’s parents. Yuuto’s parents have already taken too many pictures, both in the cap and gown, and out of it (and Yuuto mentally thanks Ruri and Shun for forcing him to drop fifty on a new outfit because it’s only now that he realizes how stupid wearing his school uniform would have been). They pat him on the back enthusiastically, parading him around to other parents, and Ruri tags along to keep him company. Or maybe so she won’t be left alone in a sea of people she doesn’t know.

Either way, Yuuto’s grateful.

Finally, the crowd starts to disperse, the complimentary water and fancy cheese and cracker platters are almost finished, and Shun is at their backs again.

“So, they appointed me as your chauffeur,” he explains shortly.

“Which car are you driving?” Ruri asks.

“The… van…”

Ruri groans. “Oh come on, I heard some girls talking about a _limousine_.”

“Sorry, mom and dad decided to go on a celebratory date night and took the car. They're with Yuuto’s parents.”

Ruri sighs, accepting this tragic fate, and Yuuto pats her on the shoulder in some form of comfort. “Okay,” she says finally. “Just let me go touch up my makeup.” She turns on her heel and heads toward the washrooms, leaving Yuuto with Shun.

“You know she’s gonna turn her parent-approved makeup for a dark look, right?” Yuuto asks.

Shun frowns. “Well, I guess that’s the plus side of our parents leaving early, then.”

“Given up?”

“Yeah.”

Yuuto smirks, “Good.”

“So, I have a favour to ask,” Shun starts, pulling something out of his pocket and pressing it into into Yuuto’s palm.

It’s a violet flower. “Uh.”

“It’s a corsage.”

Yuuto feels his face start heating up again. “Uhm--”

“It’s for Ruri. She’s still bitter over not having a date,” Shun explains before Yuuto can utterly embarrass himself. “You just have to tie it around her wrist.”

Oh. Oh, that makes sense. “O-okay. I can do that.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

When Ruri gets back, he pretends he didn’t just have a heart attack.

\+ + + + +

The food sucks, and the music is as mediocre and Top 40 as the DJ can possibly make it. The whole prom thing totally isn’t worth the money Yuuto dropped on the tickets, but Ruri’s smiling beside him as they make fun of how badly their classmates dance, so maybe it’s not so bad.

A slow song starts up, and Yuuto half expects Ruri to jump up and grab his hand, but she continues picking at the leftover chocolate cake on the table that some of the girls passed over.

“That guys stepping on his girlfriend’s toes,” she says with a smirk, pointing over at the most popular guy in their graduating class with the hand he tied the corsage over. The thought of that whole exchange brings a whole new blush to his face, but it’s dark and he’s thankful Ruri doesn’t notice.

Yuuto cringes at the sight she’s referencing. “I wonder how much that hurts.”

“With open-toe shoes?” Ruri shudders. “A lot. Trust me.”

“Ouch.”

Yuuto pulls over another plate of the chocolate cake that another one of the girls at their table left untouched and takes a bite. Ruri laughs.

“At this rate, we’ll finish the whole thing,” she points out.

“We can’t just let it go to waste,” Yuuto says, so seriously that Ruri starts laughing again.

“Maybe we should take one slice home,” Ruri suggests. “For Shun.”

Yuuto smirks. “We’ll give him the smallest piece.”

“And eat it on the way home.”

They high-five and Ruri grins. “It’s the thought that counts.”

Songs pass, toes are stepped on, they chat and joke, and the dancefloor slowly empties out because their peers are in this for the after party where everyone lights up and gets wasted, and there’s only three others left in the room when Ruri finally gets up, holding her hand out to Yuuto.

“We can’t leave without at least one dance,” she says, and Yuuto takes her hand if only to amuse her.

Ruri wraps her arms around his neck and Yuuto awkwardly places his hands on her waist. They start to sway and he lets Ruri lead because he has no idea what he’s doing and Ruri’s always been a natural at this kind of thing.

“If you step on my toes--”

“I promise I won’t.”

Ruri smiles. “Of course… So, only a couple months till we hit Maiami! We’re done here.”

“Never to come back again,” Yuuto adds, matching her smile. “Ever.”

“Ever,” she agrees. “I can’t wait. Shun talks about Maiami like all the time since he got back. He loves it there. He says we will too.”

“I don’t doubt him.”

“No more math class,” Ruri says with a content sigh. “Or science. Or high school drama.”

“It’ll be great.”

“So great. And you can spend more time with Shun…”

“Ruri, please--”

“You can admit your undying love for him, and you can start dating, and--”

“ _Ruri_.”

“What? It could happen. You’ll be in the same dorm building. You should tell him.”

“No, it’s _embarassing_.”

Ruri just laughs. “Well, whether you tell him or not, it’ll still be amazing. So much better than this place. And we’ll be doing things we care about.”

“Yeah. I can’t wait.”

**Author's Note:**

> STAY TUNED AND STUFF?
> 
> also comment and let me know what you thought :)


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